Shunts are medical devices having various tubes referred to as catheters. Shunts are minimally used to allow excess fluids that build up in one portion of the body to be drained into another portion of the body, thereby normalizing fluid flow pressure in the first portion of the body. Typically, patients are implanted with one or more catheters, separated by one or more one-way valves to allow the excess fluid to periodically drain from the over-pressurized area in the body.
In particular, ventriculoperitoneal shunts are used to treat patient with hydrocephalus. These shunts allow passage of cerebrospinal fluid from the ventricles in the brain to the peritoneal cavity. Due to the excess protein levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of these patients, the shunt valves often become occluded.
In addition, there have been numerous issues associated with shunt systems intended to drain cerebrospinal fluid from the brain to the peritoneal cavity. For various reasons, such as a build-up of protein within the interior of a shunt system, kinking of a shunt catheter, or migration of the distal catheter out of the peritoneum, a shunt system may become occluded, therefore reducing or preventing the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Symptoms of a blocked shunt system can be serious if left unchecked, and can result in frequent visitations to the emergency room.
In some cases, the ventricles in the brain in which the cerebrospinal fluid accumulates do not change size in response to elevated or depressed levels of cerebrospinal fluid. Therefore, traditional imaging techniques, such as computed tomography scanning of the brain, are unable to determine whether or not the cerebrospinal fluid flow through a shunt is occurring as intended. As a result, physicians often must resort to invasive techniques, such as a shunt tap, to detect the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. During a shunt tap, a needle is placed through the scalp into the shunt reservoir of the shunt system. The cerebrospinal fluid is then withdrawn, and the fluid pressure measured to determine if the cerebrospinal fluid has been flowing through the shunt system.
This procedure can result in a number of problems. First, the procedure can be uncomfortable for the patient and can result in an infection. Second, the procedure requires interpretation by an experienced physician, resulting in the need for the procedure to be performed at a facility with neurosurgical services.
It is with these observations in mind, among others, that various aspects of the present disclosure were conceived and developed.
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